Electric switch



May 22, 1923. A f 1,455,985 r M v f R. A. BELMONT-ET Al. ELECTRIC SWITCHFiled Aril 19. 1921 rama@ May aa', raza.

RALPH A. BLBIONT, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., AND JOHN IB. DONNG, 0F NEVARK, NEW

JERSEY, ASSGNORS TO BEAVER MACHNE 51: T091 JERSEY, A CORPORATION' OF NEVJERSEY.

ELECTRC S WITCH.

Application filed April 19, 1921. Serial No. 462,566.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, RALPH A. 'BELMONT and Jol-IN B. DowNiNG, bothcitizens of the United States, residing, respectively, in the borough ofManhattan, city, county, and State of New York, and Newark, in thecounty of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented an improvement inElectric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an electric switch and more particularly tothat type of electric switch commonly known as a canopy switch. 1ncanopy switches, as is generally recognized, due to the comparativelysmall space between the inside of the canopy and the wall against whichthe same is used, it is necessary to have the switch mechanismexceedingly short and'hence with extremely limited switch space unlessthe wall behind the canopy is to be cut away to make provision for therece tion of the switch. lt is,

therefore, prefera le, as will be appreciated, to have the inner end ofthe switch lie within the plane of that portion of the canopy whichabuts against the wall in order that no recess or other provision needbe made in the wall to receive the switch in placing the canopy inposition. The present invention still furthermore relates to that typeof switch in which the contact memberv is actuated by having impartedthereto a reciprocating motion from a revoluble key shaft, asfor'example as shown and described in Letters Patent No. 811,410, datedJanuary 30, 1906. The present invention relates more particularly to theconstruction of the contact member in order to obtain the necessaryresiliency therein to make the switch operative and consequentlypractical as well as the manner in which the terminals are secured inthe base or body of the switch and against which the resilient contactsare adapted to be moved and bear to complete the circuit through theswitch. 1n carrying out the invention and to obtain the necessary degreeof resiliency as well as a contact surface in these contact members, thesame are preferably made from a suitable strip of metal secured to acarrier and caused to overlap each other to obtain the fto shorten theswitch to the greatest possible eXtent and in so doing the lead wiresare carried from the switch body at the sides thereof, and the inventionalso relates to the particular manner in which these lead wires and theterminals to which they are secured are connected and mounted in thebody of the switch so as to lead from the sides thereof from whence theymay be taken to the necessary terminals for completing the circuit tothe socket carried by the canopy for a lamp to be used therein, as willalso be hereinafter more particularly described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal cross section of a. canopy switch madein accordance with our invention.

Fig. 2 isa Across section on line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the operative parts ofthe switch in oneposition in which the contact members bear against the terminals.

Fig. lis a similar view showing the operative parts in the otherposition in which the contacts are removed from the terminals.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5, Fig. 3.

Fig. G is a section on line 6 6, Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 7d?, Fig. 1, with the operating parts of theswitch omitted to show the terminals.

Fig. 8 isan edge view of another form of Contact member.

Fig. 9 is a plan ofthe same, and

Fig. 10 is a cross section illustrating the manner in which theterminals are secured in position in the base or housing of the switch,

COMPANY, OF NEWARK, NEW

Referring to the drawing it Will be seen that in carrying out ourinvention We employ a `housing which preferably consists of a base l ofinsulating material and acap 11 made of metal or other suitablematerial. ln oppositely disposed positions in the outer surface of thebase there are longitudinal grooves 12 and the cap is secured to thebase by having indentations 13 made' in the flange 14; so as to liewithin the grooves 12, as is plainly indicated inFigs. 2 and 7 of thedrawing.

rlhe cap 11 includes an extension 15 to which there is suitably secureda screw threaded shank 16 adapted to be connected in anysuitable mannerto a canopy, as for example extending through the same and held in placebyv a set screw which may be turned down onthe screw threaded shank.Extending through and journaled in this screw threaded shankv is. a keyshaft 17. The outer portion of this key shaft is screw threaded asindicated-at 18 so as to receive a button 19 through the turning ofwhich the key shaft` is revolved to operate the switch. .As indicatedthe inner end of the button 19 is spaced from the outer end of thescrewthreaded shank by a washer 2O which is preferably a horse-shoe washerand is passed into a groove provided on the key shaft to `receive thesame.

ln the base there are mounted terminals 21 and 22 which, as indicated,are tubular,although as will be understood, they may be ofnanyotherconfiguration and the manner in which-these terminals are mountedin the base and the lead wires connected thereto will be hereinaftermore particularly described.

At the inner end ofthe key shaft there are flanges or heads Q3, 24connected by a part havingl oppositely disposed inclined ysurfaces 25and 26,' and as illustrated these inclined surfaces are employed inoppositely disposedy pairs, although, as will be understood, while beingemployed in pairsA any number ofpairs may be used instead of the twopairs illustrated, it being understood, however, that multiples oftwomust be employed and thatthefaces ofthe succeedingifaces must beoppositely inclined. At their opposite ends the oppositely disposedcorners of the surfaces 2G are rounded or recessed as indicated at 27and in similar positions the surfaces 25 are rounded or recessed asindicated atv 28 for the pui"- pose to be hereinafterdisclosed. Fittingover the key shaft 17 so as to lie between the inner end of the same andthe head 23, we employ a guide member 28", the function of whichwillalso behereinafter disclosed. As will now be apparent the key shaft 17is prevented frominoving longitudinally in one direction by the head 23and the guide member 28 and from longitudinal movement in the oppositedirection by the washer 20,

We also employ a resilient reciprocating carrier member which ispreferably aspring 29 of substantially elliptical configuration havingthe ends thereof inturned as indicated at 30 and adapted to engageagainst the inclined surfaces 25 andl 26 moving on the same, with themovements limited in one direction by the head 23 and in the oppositedirection by the head 24, ras illustrated in Figs.y 3 and 4i. When theinturned ends 8O of the 'spring carrier member 29 lie against the head2a the uppermost inturned end in the position illustrated liesvin thenrecess 27, and by imparting a clock wise motion to the key shaft theinturned ends of' the springV` carrier .member are shifted from theinclined surfaces 26 to the inclined surfaces Q5, and immediately uponbeing so transferred the surfaces 25I being inclined in the oppositedirection through the resiliency of the spring member the same is causedto travel along the inclined surfaces 25 from left to right as viewed r`in these figures so as to contact with the head 23,and by `impartinganother clockwise motion to the key shaft 17 theV inturned ends of thespring carrier member are again transfer'red to the inclined surfaces 26and the same is returned to its former po-A sition. its willnow be seenthe recessed or rounded corners at the extremities of thel inclined Thecontact member preferablycomprises` a band of material indicated at 31.vlThis is secured to the ,resilient carrier member. `29 byl being passedaround the same and secured thereto with an intervening. layer ofinsulating material 32. Tl'ie ends of the bandy 231 are offset asindicated at 33 andl, the oneenclosing the other on the outer side of'the surfaces, permit this revoluble movement of the key shaft in aclockwise di-A rection to actuate the carrier member, and

resilient carrier memberr` the offsetmembei' y hating anextension'poverlying :the-1 of?! set port-ion 34, and similarly theoffsetportion 34 is providedjwith yan extension` overlying the offsetportion 83 in order tov provi de the necessary contaetsurfaceforktlieswitch. By reference' to Figi l. it will ,be i

seen that these offset portions-also provide for the necessaryresiliency of the Contact member inasmuch as the entire length of theoii'set portion is available for the utilization ot the spring effect,and as theseoset portions cross each other there is a maximum resiliencyprovided in a minimum spacey which is necessary in a switch oit thistype, the resiliency of' the oii'set portion 34 extending from the pointA at which. it is gripped to the carrier member to the extremity B oitthe offset portion, whereas similarly 'the of-' Referring to Fios. 8 and9 itwill be seen that instead of constructing the contact member ashereinbei'ore described, this contact member may consist of a band or'metal as indicated at 37 extending around the resilient member 29 andhaving-its extremities toi-med in arms 38 and 39 which may be suitablyslotted to provide 'lior the required resiliency. @bviously other formsof contact members may be employed without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, although at the present time we preter to use the contactconstruction as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3 and 4.

In connecting the terminals 2l and 2Q, in the base and securing the leadwires therein, it will be seen by reference to Fig. 10 that one end ofeach of the terminals is flared as indicated at 40 or provided with ahead and the terminal passed through a bore provided therefor to receivethe same in the base l0 so that a portion of the terminals lies withinthe recess in the base to permit the resilient contact to bear againstthe same. lWhen the terminal has been thus placed in the bore providedthereforin the base the lead wire which is preferably a strandedinsulated wire as indicated at 41 is passed through the opposite end otthe bore in the base and through the terminal to the {iared end thereofwhere it is secured to the terminal by solder or otherwise as indicatedat i2, the solder preferably filling the end of the terminal while theremainder ot the opening in the housing may be filled with wax or othersimilar insulating material. ln this construction, as will also be seenin F ig. l0, the insulating covering i3 of the lead wire extends intothe smaller end ot the bore in the housing so as to abut against theadjacent end of the terminal. ln this manner it is possible to talre thelead wires from the sides of the housing and to permanently connect theends of the leads in the terminals by securing the leads in theterminals and the terminals in the housing simultaneously.

lVe claim as our invention:

l. ln an electric switch, terminals, a reciprocating member, means foractuating the same, and a contact member carried by the Areciprocatingmember and having overlappingresilient arms for contacting with the saidterminals. 1

2. lin an electric switch, terminals, a reciprocating member, means foractuating thc same, a contact niembei1 comprising resilient armsextending from oppositely disposed4 parts of the reciprocating memberand cross` ing each other to obtain a maximum length and resiliency andadapted by the reciprocating member to be moved into and out of contactwith the said terminals.

3. ln an electric switch, terminals, a. reciprocating` member, means foractuating vhe same, and a contact member carried by the saidreciprocating member and having overlapping` resilient arms with lateralextensions thereon 'for contacting with the said' terminals and adaptedto bemoved intocontact with and away trom the same in planes transverseto the direction of travel or' the said reciprocating member.

in an electric switch, terminals, a reciprocatin member, means foractuating the same, a contact member, comprising a. band passing arounda portion'oil the said reciprocating member and secured thereto andhaving arms extending from oppositely disposed parts of the saidreciprocating member and crossing each other to provide a maximum lengthci. arm to enable each oi the same to resilien'tly bear against one otsaid terminals, the said contact member and its arms being moved inplanes transverse to the direction of travel of the said recipro catingmember.

5. ln an electric switch, a casing, a lead terminal let int-o the casingfrom one side thereof and extending into the interior of the casing, alead wire passed through the casingin the opposite direction and intothe said terminal therein, and means for securing the lead wire inposition in the terminal to maintain both the terminal and the lead wirein place in the casino.

6. In an electric switch, a'casing of insulating material having achamber therein and a transverse opening adjacent. the base thereof, atubular terminal passed into vthe said opening 'from one side of thecasing, a lead wire passed through the opening inithe casing from theother side thereof: and into the said tubular terminal, and means torsecuring the lead wire in the terminal to fix both the terminal and thelead wire in -place in the casing.

said openingy from thexother side lor" the casing -aiidthrough the saidterminal,Y and: means for securing-- the lead Wire in poeition Y lin theterminal to maintain both the tei-nii'- iiel and lead Wire infplace'inthe casing.

- 8. In an electric switch, a casing otinsu` lati-ng` niaterialhavingachamber thc-en and a. transverse opening` adjacent the hase passingthrough the casing. and partially in'tci'sectingI thecliaiiihei'tlierein so that the base of the chamber is groei/ed., atubular terminal having an enlarged end and adapted to bepassediii-tothe' said opening in the casing; froinfone end thereof so as toliein thevgroove inthe basent the chamber and to-extendinto the saidchamber, a lead Wire :passed through the'- opening 'from the oppositesidelof the casing and into the said terminal, yand means for-securingthe lead Wire inthe terminal so as to fix both the terminal and the leadWire-in position inl the casing.

9.1n an electric switch, an insulating casing coin-pricing a base andSide Walls,

and a*tubulary terminal let into the casing-` transverselyffthrough anopeninga iii a. side wall and adapted to receive a lead Wirepassed-transversely through an oppcsitely disposed. side Wall .into the`said tubulariter-- minal. p l l l0. ln lan electric sWitch, aninsulating casing' comprising a' hase and Side Walls, a

' -u c L tubular terminal let into the casing trans ve'i'sely through anopening' inthe side wall and adapted to receive a lead wire passedtransversely through an oppositely disposed Side Wall and into thesajidtuhular terminal, y.

and means ior4 Securingthe lead iii/ircl in the said `tubular terminalat the end :thereof adjacent `the eide Wall through, which the saidtubular terminal islet into the casing,

ll. ln an electric switch,I any insulating casing; comprising a base;and sidewalls.,a

cylindricall terminal having a flaring end let into the casing4'transversely thereof through an opening; provided thereforwin a sideWall and adapted to receive a lead Wire passed transverselv through anoppo-A sitely disposed vside wall of the .casing and into the saidcylindrical terminal, andmeans

